


A favour and a confession

by flightinflame



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Disabled Character, Children, Family Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Mutual Pining, Relationship of Convenience, dadneto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:06:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21654214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Erik has an amazing evening, watching a Disney film with Charles and their twin children, before putting the children to bed and heading home. He's lucky to have this, and his unrequited crush isn't going to ruin the perfect family he has.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr & Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff, Erik Lehnsherr/Charles Xavier, Pietro Maximoff & Wanda Maximoff & Charles Xavier
Comments: 12
Kudos: 111
Collections: Secret Mutant Madness 2019





	A favour and a confession

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [JackyJango](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JackyJango/pseuds/JackyJango) in the [secret_mutant_madness_2019](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/secret_mutant_madness_2019) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Charles, freshly heartbroken is convinced that he won't find the right partner to love and to raise children with. But he wants to father a child, so decides to do it alone. 
> 
> He asks Erik (now Erik can be anyone- best friend/colleague/mom's younger ex-lover turned friend/Raven's best friend/Emma's best friend) to be the other father. He promises that he won't impose any fatherly duties on Erik and that he's content to raising the child alone. He certainly has the financial bandwidth for it. But at the same time he wouldn't prevent Erik from meeting the child or restrict Erik's rights over it and that Erik would always be the other father. Erik agrees to it.
> 
> Charles quits University for the first 2 years of his child's birth and sticks to writing books. Erik has a job that involves travelling a lot. He cuts most of it to help Charles. Even though Charles had promised that he wouldn't impose duties on Erik, it's still his child, dammit. 
> 
> They develop feelings for each other in the process. Too much, in fact. A few years pass in the pining and the ones around them squirm in the heat of their angst.
> 
> Even their kid starts asking questions as to why Vati and Papa are not staying together. ANGST!! But they pull their heads out of their asses and confess their feelings for each other.

If Erik Lehnsherr was asked to describe his perfect evening - well, this would come close to it. He'd cooked dinner - poor Charles was exhausted, after being up all night looking after the twins, who were both feeling a little ill. Now, the four of them were sat on the sofa, Charles propped up with a cushion to avoid any strain on his back, Pietro cuddled up to his papa, as Wanda curled up with her head on Erik's shoulder. Both twins were clearly just as tired as their papa, Wanda snuggling up into Erik's arms with each minute. On the television, the latest Disney movie was blaring, and Charles was attempting to read a genetics book without the children noticing and complaining that their Papa was boring.

Pietro had inherited Erik's father's silver hair, and it was sticking up in all directions as he started to nod off.

"Time for bed, kleine Maus..." he told Wanda, pressing a kiss to her forehead.  
"Okay, Vati."

"You too Frechdachs."

"But the film!" Pietro whined, yawning. 

Charles laughed.  
"The film will still be there in the morning. Let your Vati get you ready for bed, and I'll come and read you a story, okay?"

The twins seemed to brighten at that, rushing off to get ready.

"You sure? I can read to them." Erik offered, because Charles looked exhausted.

"I'm sure. It was good of you to come around, thank you." Charles murmured, and yawned, and Erik fought the urge to just put a blanket over the other man.

"Any time," he murmured. "You know I said I'd help out."

"You don't have to." Charles smiled, but there was sadness there, and at times Erik could almost fool himself into thinking Charles wished he was around more as well. "But... if you want, I've been setting up a spare room for you. Just in case you need to stay over. We've got the space."

"Thank you, Charles." Erik said quietly, and went to check on the children. He'd refused the offer before, but he could see the logic to it, and he really did want to spend more time with his young family.

Tonight had been almost perfect. The only issue was the biggest one he had at the moment - the one that had been haunting him in the four years since the twins birth, the nine months before their conception, and for a year before that. 

The fact he was in love with Charles.

He'd been considering confessing it to the other man, even if it was never going to be returned. After Charles had broken up with his ex, he'd been trying to find the right time. He'd thought he'd found it when Charles had invited him out for a drink, and said he needed to talk to him about something important. Erik had been stupid enough to think that maybe his feelings were reciprocated, to try and work out how he would answer a confession of love - when Charles squeezed his hand, and cleared his throat, and said a sentence that would change everything.  
"I want to have your child."

Erik had stared, and Charles had tried to explain - he was wealthy enough, a doctor had agreed it was possible with the disability, as long as he was careful, that he wanted to do this now while he was healthy. Erik being another mutant was an advantage. As was the fact he was Charles's best friend. They could agree on custody before hand: Erik would have no responsibilities towards the child, but he could have as much contact as he would like. He would be the child's father, get money if needed, and know the child was loved.

The children's conception itself had been an experience. Taking care of Charles through a heat, promising him that he was doing well, and knowing that this would be the only chance he ever got. But throughout, Erik had stayed quiet. Charles was trusting him. He was the only one Charles trusted, and blurting out his feelings would be a betrayal of the worst kind.

So he kept quiet. And a few weeks later, he found out the best news of his life. It had worked, better than expected. He'd fussed over Charles, despite Charles's protests. He'd been at the appointments, and braved the glares of people who thought that an unmarried disabled omega should never have children. Charles had quit his work into mutant research for the first two years of the twins' lives, writing books. Erik stayed around the mansion as well, cutting down on his hours to look after the two tiny lives that became the centre of his world.

But he kept his own place. Living with Charles would be too painful, a constant reminder of everything that he couldn't have. He watched his children growing, knowing that their papa loved them, that they would have a good life, and that he could be involved.

So he said goodnight, and sent Charles in with a story.

"Wait, Vati!" Wanda cried out. "You have to help Papa with the voices."

Erik nodded, going to sit on the bed so he could read over Charles's shoulder, happily providing the voice of the brave mouse who wasn't scared of anything, even a gruffalo. The children giggled as he roared, and then curled up in their blankets, He patted their hair, and Charles pressed kisses to their foreheads, and they headed towards the door.  
"Goodnight Vati, goodnight Papa," the children chorused, and Erik smiled and closed the door behind them with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you again, for everything you did today." Charles told him "You really have been wonderful."

"It's alright," Erik said, glad of the height difference. Charles's lips were almost hypnotically soft, but he would have had to bend down to kiss them, and that would give Charles time to back away. Not wanting to face Charles's disgust helped him focus.

"You should come around on Thursday," Charles muttered as he headed towards the door. "Raven and Irene are coming with their little one."

Erik was meant to be at a meeting late on Thursday. He already knew he would reschedule.  
"That sounds good. How is Kurt?"

Charles laughed nervously, and then looked Erik in the eye.  
"He's developed teleportation."

"He's two. What does a two year old do with teleportation."

"Nothing good." Charles answered, and Erik laughed at that, leaving to go home.

***

On Thursday, Erik arrived smartly dressed, holding some flowers. There was no point bringing wine, not given the quality of the bottles in the Xavier cellars.

"Hallo U'ckle Erik!" Kurt greeted him, appearing on his hip and trying to grab for a brightly coloured flower.

"Hello Kurt..." Erik carefully levitated the flowers over to the table, grateful for the foil he'd wrapped around the base.

Irene frowned, leaning in to squeeze Raven's hand, just as Pietro raced up.  
"Hello Vati!"

"Hey Frechdachs, where's your sister?"

"Cupboard."

"Why is your sister in a cupboard?" Erik frowned, and Pietro shrugged.

"Let's go and get her." Erik headed off to chase down his errant daughter, who was indeed hiding in a cupboard (apparently Pietro had been 'nnoying' and she wanted to have some quiet. According to her, the cupboard was her office, and no Pietro's were allowed inside). 

He managed to get both children back downstairs, which hadn't been the easiest thing to do, when Wanda looked up at him.

"Why are Aunty Raven and Auntie Irene married?"

"Because they love each other," Erik explained, feeling Charles's chair approaching.

"Why aren't you and Papa married?" Pietro asked, then turned to Charles. "Papa, why aren't you and Vati married? Why?" He looked between them, and Raven frowned, busy trying to detangle Kurt from a ball of string.

"Because... because your Vati and I... we love each other, but not like that." Charles said, and Erik cringed, because even though he knew it was the case it still hurt to hear his emotions weren't returned.

Charles cleared his throat, then coughed, and then coughed again, and Erik was wondering if he needed to get some water when Charles's voice sounded in his mind.  
_You... you have feelings for me?_

Erik felt like his world was shattering. He knew Charles wouldn't ban him from his children, but it would have been so easy. This was all a massive betrayal, and he'd been the idiot who thought he could hide his feelings from a telepath of all people. He looked down, as Raven ushered the children from the room, leaving just him and Charles there.

"I'm sorry," Erik said honestly. "I ... I thought I could stop you from knowing. I ... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I love the children. I love what we have, and I won't ever... I won't ever want anything more, and you can forget... You can forget I ever mentioned it."

"What if I don't want to forget-" Charles began, then sighed. "Oh, Erik. You know I wouldn't take your babies away."

"I ... I'm sorry." Erik whispered, and then he felt Charles's fingers brush against his.

"Don't be. I... I care about you. I... I wished, for a long time, that we... I thought that this was all we could have, and it was enough. It's amazing, far more than I could ever have dreamed of. But...if you wanted more..."

"Irene has dinner reservations for the two of you," Raven walked in speaking. "At the restaurant where the twins were...arranged. And we have the night free to babysit." With that she left again.

Erik hesitated, looking down at Charles, and then leaning in to kiss him, pausing just before his lips.  
"Do you want to try?"

"I want to." Charles promised, and leaned in to close the gap between them.


End file.
